Something
by JadedAttitude143
Summary: Hollywood Arts decides to perform Romeo and Juliet for their Senior Play. What happens when Beck and Jade, who have nothing but a tentative friendship between them, are cast in the two leading roles? Will they rekindle their old romance?
1. Chapter 1

"_Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs."_

She didn't miss him. No, she didn't feel much of anything towards him nowadays. And "miss" was such a strong word, one that meant all sorts of complicated emotions, like longing and regret and love. So, it could scarcely be applied to the occasional indifferent glances shared between them or the rare brushes of their shoulders when they stood a little too close together. No.

She being Jade, he being Beck, of course.

So, what was their relationship now? They weren't in love, that having died with the silence of an unopened door, and they weren't friends if they barely spoke. Yet they didn't hold contempt against one another, and they were both slightly unwilling to outright ignore one another. A large portion of each day was spent in each other's company, as they were both in Hollywood Art's most advanced acting classes, and shared the mutual friends of Tori, Andre, Cat, and Robbie.

Therefore, they were an undefinable relationship that drifted towards something else, something inevitable. Both of them knew they were traveling towards something else, although both of them were unwilling to imagine what.

What had they been before this?

Friend.

Boyfriend.

Girlfriend.

Lover.

Ex-boyfriend.

Ex-girlfriend.

Nothing.

Now, perhaps, they would be something.


	2. Chapter 2

"Your truck sucks."

"Really? I _offered _to drive you to school in my luxurious –"

"-Secondhand-"

"-luxurious truck, and you insult it. Now, that's hurtful."

"Doesn't the lack of air conditioning make your hair frizz?"

"No more than it does yours."

Beck took one hand away from the steering wheel to tug on a dark curl, and Jade looked away, her mouth managing to turn both upwards in a smile and downwards in a frown. The heat of his hand still brought back certain unbearable memories, although the pain seemed to have greatly lessened when compared to the agony of most of junior year. Beck, realizing he had slightly overstepped the boundaries of their tentative friendship, focused his attention back on the road.

"So, is this a one-time thing, or will I be chauffeuring you to school every day of senior year?" He stared straight ahead, focusing on the black BMW ahead of them.

Jade chuckled and took another sip of her black coffee, then directed her words out the open window. "Whaddya think, Oliver?" A bit of a grin formed on her face, and she glanced at him with just the slightest bit of eagerness mingled with hesitance. Beck shook his head.

He opened his mouth to answer with a laugh, or perhaps a witty comeback, but before he could, Jade had extended a hand to the ancient radio and changed it from Beck's favorite Indie station to the 80's rock station. Van Halen roared from the speakers, and Beck understood it to be a signal of "Shut up, Beck, and just appreciate the guitar solo and overdone honking of Los Angeles drivers." He nodded to himself.

Beck stole glances at her every so often, always shaking his head slightly when he saw her two booted feet propped up on the dashboard, tapping in time to the music, and her head out the window, glaring at her angry, noisy city surroundings but at the same time feeling validated by them. They were reassuring to her. Her eyes were bright and eager behind her eyeliner, and her pursed lips could only hide so much of that excitement.

He could share that excitement with her. Senior year at Hollywood Arts meant many things, things that would greatly aid both of them in conquering the cold, cruel industry of acting. Talent agents were invited to every play, an alumnus seemed to be speaking every week on how to handle the business, and there was even a mandatory class entirely devoted to approaching auditions. Things were becoming real. It was nearly impossible to think of, yet it was all at Beck's fingertips.

Without warning, Jade jabbed the off button of the radio. "That song sucks."

Beck jerked his head noncommittally. "Hey Mickey" was terrible, but that didn't mean he couldn't use it to egg on Jade. "Eh, I thought it was okay."

She laughed, but then took on a serious expression with folded arms and a glare. "You're an idiot."

"Aw, thanks, you just made my day." He elbowed her lightly.

Her eyes rolled impatiently. "No, really, you're an idiot."

"Jade, stop it, you're gonna make me blush."

Two clunks told Beck that her feet were gone from the dashboard. The benign smile that had stretched itself across his face faded and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye warily.

"So." He recognized the voice that she used when luring prey into a trap.

"Mhm?"

"Senior Play this year. What're you doing?" One of the best things about Hollywood Arts was the Senior Play, which was an even bigger deal than the Student Showcase. Open only to seniors, a play was put on, one that ran for nearly a month at their theater, and required a whole school year of preparation. Everyone wanted to participate in it.

"Auditioning, of course."

"Are you?" She twirled the piercing in her upper left ear with a frown illuminating her face. "Are you really? You're not just saying that?"

"Yeah, I'm totally auditioning. Why wouldn't I?"

Jade shook her head as if the action would shoo him away. "Nothing. Shut up."

"Why do you care if I audition, Jade? We wouldn't even be up for the same roles."

"I just wanted to make sure…"

"Why?"

"Because…" Jade gave an exaggerated sigh and slapped her hand on the torn armrest, as if that was all the explanation her questions needed. She directed a raised eyebrow at Beck to see if that answer satisfied him, but he jerked his head slightly in response and smirked. A guttural sound rose from her throat, but after a minute more of hair twirling, impatient coughing, and glares, she gave in. "Because…you're a, um, really good actor, and senior year is when people begin questioning themselves at Hollywood Arts because they don't think they're good enough or whatever. And I just wanted to make sure that you weren't doing that because you _are_ a good actor, y'know." And then she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, clearly exhausted from her feeble attempt at sentiment.

Beck chuckled, feeling a slight urge to ruffle her hair like a dog. "I'm in it for the long run, Jade."

"Good luck with that, kid."

"And you?"

"Hm?" Jade took a long sip of coffee.

"You're doing the Senior Play, right?" He took his gaze off the road to gauge her reaction.

"Psh, don't insult me."

"So you are."

"Duh." She pulled her hair away from her face and rolled up her window. "Damn wind. I hate Los Angeles."

"No you don't. But so after this year-"

"I'll go to UCLA, major in theatre, become a successful actress, and prove to my stupid da- prove to the world that Jade West is the best damn thing ever to exist. Oughtta be pretty easy, have you seen some of the people who consider themselves talented?" She shuddered.

"Ah, humble as always."

"You know I try." Although he had looked away from her now, he could hear the smile in her voice.

So, it was with his own smile that he answered, "Good."


End file.
